9th cookie recipe from Bron -- The Very Best Hermit Bars Ever

[Guest guest]

And hey, I never HAD any hermit bars before this recipe...but I'm sure

willing to concede that they must be the best ever. :>)

Bron

 

The Very Best Hermit Bars Ever

 

Bars:

1 1/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. plus 2 T. veg shortening

4 T. unsalted butter

1/4 c. molasses (I use sorghum, myself)

3/4 t. salt

3/4 t. cinnamon

3/4 t. ground allspice

1 3/4 t. baking soda

2 large eggs, room temp

5 c. cake flour (for this, yes, get out the White Lily or whatever your

favorite soft flour brand is)

1/3 c. water

2 c. (12 oz.) raisins, packed (boiled in water to cover for 2 minutes in the

microwave, and then drained except for about a T. of the water...gives a

really good, indepth, raisiny flavor)

 

Glaze:

3 T. milk

1 c. powdered sugar, sifted

 

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 10x15 jellyroll pan.

 

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, shortening, and butter,

beating at medium speed until fluffy. Add the molasses, salt, spices and

baking soda. Mix for 1 minute, then stop the mixer and scrape down the sides

of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add half the flour. Once it's mixed in, add the water, and then the other

half of the flour. When the batter is mixed completely, add the raisins and

raisin water and stir until combined. Spread batter in prepared pan.

 

Bake hermits for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are light brown. They'll

puff up in the oven and the top will get shiny. As soon as you see this,

pull the pan from the oven. The top will fall back down and the interior of

the cookies will have an almost fudgy consistency. If you leave them in the

oven longer, you'll get bars that are more like a cake-type brownie, and

they won't be as moist and irresistible. Remove hermits from the oven and

cool in the pan on a rack before glazing.

 

Glaze:

In a small bowl, stir together the milk and powdered sugar until smooth; the

glaze will be quite thin. Use a pastry brush to brush it on top of the

hermits. Let dry. Cut the hermits into bars.

 

YIELD: 35 bars